The director of a bankrupt care agency in Hengelo is estimated to have gambled away tons of care money in a few years. This can be deduced from a published bankruptcy report of the trustee.
The care agency of the director, DKB Thuiszorg, founded in 2016, focused on people with a migration background, mainly Armenians, writes RTV Oost. Initially, things went well for the agency. For example, in 2018 and 2019, the healthcare provider booked a turnover of 1.2 million and 1.3 million euros with a profit of more than 117,000 and 95,000 euros respectively.
But two years later the company was suddenly declared bankrupt. According to the director, this was the result of the corona crisis in combination with a so-called instruction from the Health Inspectorate, as a result of which the agency received negative publicity.
Director in custody
When the trustee requested the accounts in her investigation into the cause of the bankruptcy, the director made no reply. At the request of the trustee, the director was subsequently taken into so-called bankruptcy custody for thirty days in mid-December.
In the meantime, the trustee had received bank details, which showed that more than 75,000 euros had been withdrawn between September 2021 and October 2022. In addition, money from the director’s office bank account had been used for private expenses.
More questions than answers
During the bankruptcy custody, the director had provided documents, but according to the trustee, these raised “more questions than answers”. For example, there was uncertainty about a dividend decision last year during Christmas – when the man was already stuck – of 600,000 euros. This amount was deducted from the, according to the trustee, “substantial” current account of a holding company of which the care director was the sole director and shareholder. According to the trustee, this transaction was not legally valid.
Eventually, during his custody, the man admitted that he had a gambling addiction and that he had gambled away tons of healthcare money. He has also signed a statement in which he indicates that he wants to repay everything.
Previous similar case
The trustee will map out the exact financial damage in the near future. It probably runs into the many tons. The curator has not yet announced whether she will report a criminal offense to the judiciary. She does not want to give any further explanation to her report to RTV Oost.
In 2020, another care agency from Almelo was already in the news, because the director paid hundreds of visits to the casino. The director therefore had to repay 670,000 euros in healthcare money to the municipality.
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